For investors concerned about increasing volatility in the U.S. stock market, Japanese equities offer a compelling alternative. In recent months, Japan's stock market has not only outperformed that of the United States but has also become an increasingly attractive destination for global investors seeking to diversify away from volatility in American equities.According to data released by Japan Exchange Group (cited in a Bloomberg press release), foreign investors bought a net 384 billion yen ($2.5 billion) ...

Core Insights - The WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (DXJ) debuted on June 16, 2006, and offers broad exposure to the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs category [1] - The ETF industry has been traditionally dominated by market capitalization weighted indexes, but smart beta strategies are gaining traction among investors seeking to outperform the market [2][3] - The WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF has amassed over $3.65 billion in assets, making it one of the larger ETFs in its category [5] Fund Details - The fund is sponsored by WisdomTree and aims to match the performance of the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index, which provides exposure to Japanese equity markets while neutralizing currency fluctuations [5] - The ETF has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.48% and a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.61% [6] - The fund's holdings are primarily in U.S. dollars, accounting for approximately 99.07% of total assets, with top holdings including Mitsubishi Ufj Financial Group and Toyota Motor Corp [7] Performance Metrics - Year-to-date, the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF has increased by approximately 10.64%, and it has risen about 35.91% over the last 12 months as of August 7, 2025 [8] - The ETF has a beta of 0.43 and a standard deviation of 19.49% over the trailing three-year period, indicating a medium risk profile [9] Alternatives - Other ETFs in the space include JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BBJP) with $13.44 billion in assets and iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) with $15.62 billion in assets, offering lower expense ratios [11] - Investors may consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs for potentially cheaper and lower-risk options [11]